Plain Cakes and Cakes with Fruit

These cakes, either plain or with fruit, are an important part of Italian baking, both domestic and commercial. Most Italians appreciate a plain cake with coffee or tea, even for breakfast. Each region has a variation on a plain cake, like the Torta Mantovana or the Ciambella Ampezzana, distinguished by its simplicity and purity of flavor. Some, like the Torta Caprese, a combination of chocolate and walnuts, and the Torta di Nocciolè alla Veronese, flavored with hazelnuts and Marsala, are richer but are still characterized by a sophisticated simplicity.